Swan Song
by mabelreid
Summary: It's the last day of 2010. Reid decides to share a secret with Emily in order to boost her spirits. Will the year's swan song herald a new bond between them? Friendship fic with a tiny little bit of romance
1. A Surprise for Emily

**_Disclaimer: see my profile please._**

**_A/n hey all this idea came to me when I was trying to sleep last night. I think it will only be two chapters. Please enjoy._**

**_A Surprise for Emily _**

Reid looked up when Emily sighed and dropped her folder on her desk. Her face was very pale and her dark hair seemed to have lost its luster. He bit his lower lip between his teeth and frowned. Emily wasn't supposed to look exhausted and in pain.

"_Oh… It looks worse then it is."_

He shook his head to clear the image of her battered face and blood stained shirt from his head. He hadn't thought about that moment in years. Why relive one of the worst days of his life now?

He rubbed the side of his nose with the knuckles of his left hand. Maybe he was projecting because he was exhausted and his head hurt a little just thinking about the stack of paperwork on his desk.

"You okay?" He decided.

She smiled at him even thought he knew it cost her to do so.

"Yeah… I'm fine."

"Emily…"

"I'm fine," She repeated despite the pain in her eyes.

"I can see you're not fine." He challenged.

Her dark, beautiful eyes sparked to life, which pleased and terrified him. "It's none of your business Reid." She snapped.

"You're in pain Emily. I can see it in your eyes. You're my friend and I'm concerned.

She rubbed her hands over her face and eyes like a small child. "I have a killer headache," She admitted. "I'm exhausted and I can't believe I got up on New Year's Eve and came into the office just because I didn't want to be alone."

He managed to keep the surprise out of his voice at her admittance. "I don't want to be alone either," He said quietly. "Morgan went to Chicago, Garcia's off with Kevin somewhere and Hotch is with Jack. I don't know what JJ, Rossi and Seaver are doing. I thought paperwork was a good idea and now I'm not so sure."

Emily smiled. "I'm sorry I snapped at you. I just want to get out of here."

"I think that's a great idea." He agreed. "I have an idea if you'll trust me."

He almost laughed at the way her eyes narrowed with suspicion at him. "What are you talking about?"

"I just have to make a quick call and then we'll get underway."

"We?"

"Yes," He answered with a grin. "You and I are going to spend New Year's Eve together."

Irritation rose in Emily's eyes. "Have you lost your mind Dr. Reid?" She snapped again. "Didn't you pay attention in the sexual harassment seminar we went to last month?"

"I'm not proposing anything untoward." He squeaked. "I want to show you my getaway." He said.

"Your getaway." She repeated as her eyebrows went into her bangs.

"Yes… I only ask that you don't tell anyone about it. It's a secret that I don't want the team to know about."

"Especially Morgan," Emily said knowingly.

"Especially Morgan," Reid agreed.

"I admit that I'm intrigued, but I'm not sure it's a good idea."

Reid began locking away his files and paper work. "I promise you'll love it. I'll be a perfect gentleman."

He actually crossed his heart like a little boy, which made Emily laugh. "I trust you Dr Reid." Her eyes went tired and sad again. "The truth is that I don't want to go home to an empty apartment. I'd love some company."

"Me too," he admitted firmly. "Why don't I pick you up in two hours? Make sure you bring something comfortable to wear." He said.

"Yes sir." She saluted him.

She shut away her files with a triumphant air that had him laughing. "Let's get out of here." She suggested.

"You don't have to ask me twice."

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"Where are we going?" The suspense was killing her.

"We're going to 1808 Washington Ave NW." He informed her as though she should know what he was talking about.

She looked away from watching the snow-drifted streets go by her window. "What's at 1808 Washington Ave NW?" She asked patiently.

His closed lips about their destination were a little irritating. At least her headache had backed off a little.

He steered his ancient Volvo carefully to the left. "We'll be there in five minutes Emily. You'll see. Be patient."

She glanced over at his profile. He drove much better than most of the team gave him credit for, she'd come to notice. He piloted the old car down the narrow streets of DC with expertise. He didn't speak again until they pulled up in front of what looked like a huge private home.

"What are we doing here?" She asked as he parked.

"This is the Swann House, the best bed and breakfast in DC." He said with more pride than she expected from him.

She eyed the front of the 19th century building built from deep, rose colored brick with a steeply angled roof and turret towers. It was more than a home she realized. It was an old mansion. A walkway led from the front of the home, up several steps to the front porch and entry.

"Come on." Reid opened his door, jumped out and ran around to open her door before she could move.

He took their overnight bags and led the way up the front steps. The snow from just three days ago was neatly removed leaving the concrete safe for walking, but not marring the beauty of, what she supposed, were the front gardens in the summer.

"Reid… I don't understand."

He smiled and held the door open for her. "Trust me," was all he would say to her.

The inside astounded her. The walls were painted the same dark rose color as the outside brick. Right in front of them stood a mahogany reception desk with a brass bell to one side. To her right lay a day room enclosed in glass with lots of indoor plants that were green despite the cold outside. The furniture looked like woven bamboo upholstered with ivory, rose and silver stripped patterned fabric that she really liked.

"Dr. Reid…" A voice said from their right.

A short woman with dark hair and a round, kind face strode up to them. She hugged Reid, and to Emily's astonishment, he not only allowed it, but he smiled broadly in return.

"How are you Martha?" He asked warmly.

"Wonderful now that nasty storm we had is over."

She let go of him and turned her attention to Emily. "Who is this?" She asked her dark brown eyes twinkling.

"Oh ah, this is Emily Prentiss. She's a profiler like me." He squeaked.

"I'm pleased to meet you Ms. Prentiss. I'm Martha Erickson. I run the Swann House."

"I'm pleased to meet you to Mrs. Erickson." Emily replied with a smile.

"You're room is ready Dr. Reid."

"How many times do I have to ask you to call me Spencer?" Reid admonished gently.

"Come," Martha pulled on his arm. "Jonathon!" She called out sharply.

A teenage boy about sixteen with the woman's eyes and same color hair hurried into the room. "What ma?"

"Take Dr. Reid's bags and show them up to the owner's suite."

Jonathon's eyes went wide. He took their bags and headed for the stairs. Emily followed Reid who followed Jonathon up the wooden staircase she hadn't noticed until that moment. It matched the wood of the check-in desk and someone had polished it until she could almost see her face. It branched off and Jonathon took the right side.

The hallway they emerged into reminded Emily of an old movie she'd once seen of a Victorian mansion. The carpet was old but in wonderful shape with a midnight blue background. It had golden and pink roses climbing vines worked into the pattern. She noticed four doors, two on each side of the hallway with an occasional table of the same mahogany wood between the doors.

Jonathon pulled a key out at the last door on the right side and opened it. He didn't speak to them as he disappeared through a door to her left. The small sitting room boasted a camel back sofa with rose-colored satin and matching paint on the walls. The hardwood floors had more throw rugs with colorful flowers. The coffee table matched the rest of the wood in the house. A modern flat screen TV was bolted into the wall across from the sofa.

"Thank you Jonathon." She heard Reid say.

The young man nodded and left the room very fast leaving the key card on the entryway table.

"Alright Spencer Reid… What's going on?" She demanded of him. "Why are we in the owner's suite? Why did that woman hug you like you were her long lost grandson?

"One question at a time," he said.

He opened a door to her right and gestured to her. She walked through and stopped dead again. The huge bed in the center of the room took her breath away. It had a white lace canopy that matched the fluffy snow-white comforter. It had a fireplace in front of the bed, two night tables with rose-colored pleated shades on the lamps and a little bench in front of the bed upholstered in rose velvet. A throw blanket in light grey, white and silver lay across the bed. A matching throw rug lay across the front of the bench. Her bag sat in the middle of the bench.

"This is your room. You're going to stay here. My room is on the other side of the suite. We'll have to share a bathroom though."

She just stood there staring at him. She couldn't make her mouth move. The room was so beautiful with flames already dancing in the fireplace and a window looking out over the setting sun. The sky was rose, purple and gold around a few white clouds in the sky and seemed to be made to match the décor of the room.

"Okay," she finally managed to say. "You didn't answer my questions."

"I answered the first." He reminded.

"Don't get cute Reid."

"Okay Emily… We're in the owner's suite because I'm the owner."

She felt her mouth gape open. No… He had to be lying of course.

_Spencer doesn't lie. _

"You own this place?"

"Yes… I bought it seven years ago."

She looked around again at the room with all of its original plaster crown moldings and a crystal chandelier over her head. It just couldn't be possible that Reid owned this wonderful and beautiful place.

"One of the first cases I had involved Martha and her husband. You met Jonathon?"

Emily nodded, intrigued by where the story might be going. "Yes." She said.

"He was kidnapped when he was eight. He's fifteen now. A pedophile took him from a local mall in Alexandria and held him for two weeks. We found him and brought him back. Martha and her husband Oliver decided to sell this place because they wanted to give all their attention to Jonathon while he recovered. I offered to buy it and keep them on to run the place. I deal with all the owner's responsibilities and the legal side. They deal with running the inn. As you can see, they do a great job and they have more time for their son."

"How is he doing?" Emily asked.

"He's much better. He doesn't speak to strangers at all. He would've talked to me had you not been here. He likes to help though. He's a good kid who lived through two weeks of hell and survived."

Emily touched his arm briefly. "Thanks for bringing me here. I love it."

He smiled. "You haven't seen anything yet."

He opened another door to another room she hadn't noticed while looking over the suite. She stepped through and once again stopped dead in her tracks.

"Oh Dr. Reid, I might just be in heaven."

**_A/n the bed and breakfast in this story is a real place. I've never been there, just seen it on the internet. _**


	2. Poker Face

**_Disclaimer: see my profile_**

**_A/n hey all... Here's the second and final chapter. Thank you all for your support and Happy 2011_**

**_Poker Face _**

She turned in circles around the room with its bronze fixtures, rose and gold marble counter tops and the round, sunken bathtub. On the marble counter top stood three, fat, cream-colored candles on graduated bronze holders. At the other side of the cream and gold, oval shaped vessel sink stood a tall, crystal vase full of golden and pink rose buds sprinkled with baby's breath. More vases stood around the room with dozens of roses. The perfume eddied in the air with the vanilla scented candle, which someone had lit.

"I modernized it a little. It's a Jacuzzi tub, the only one in the hotel." Reid interrupted her staring.

"I think I'm in love." Emily breathed.

"What?" He squeaked.

"With the room," She countered, smirking at him.

"Oh right…"

"How did you do all this in less than two hours?" She breathed.

"I'm the owner," he reminded her with a very satisfied smirk.

"Right, I forgot that for a moment. It's not easy to think of you as the owner of a fancy bed and breakfast like this."

"It's a good investment." Reid shrugged. "Why don't you enjoy this bathtub? I'm going to see about something to eat."

"I may never leave this room." Emily sighed.

"I think you'll have to at some point."

She made to smack his arm, but he moved fast, ducking out of her reach and hurrying to the door. "I'll just leave you alone."

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It just didn't get any better than this, Emily decided as she soaked in the sunken oval shaped tub with all the jets on full.

She'd found bath salts that added Lavender to the scent of the roses in the air. She'd read somewhere that Lavender was good for relaxation and she could believe it now. She breathed in the lovely smells and sighed. Her muscles were certainly relaxing under the pressure of the jets, and her headache was nearly gone.

She sighed and closed her eyes. For the first time in days, she could shut the blood, the horror and the pain of her job out of her mind. All the things that had kept her from sleeping for days trickled out from behind her eyes.

She didn't know how much time passed until a tentative knock sounded at one of the doors to the bathroom.

"Go away…" She said lazily.

"The food's here," Reid said.

Her stomach suddenly rumbled as though just the thought of eating had made her realize that she was hungry.

"Alright Reid, give me a minute."

Well… It had been good while it lasted. She supposed it was true that all good things must end.

"You can't stay in here forever." She said morosely.

At least her headache was completely gone, and her muscles were loose and limber. If only she could get a good night's sleep, then she'd feel back to 100%.

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She found Reid in the living room by following the wonderful scents of food that wafted into her room.

"Good heavens Reid. Where did you get all that food?" She blurted out.

He had a large pizza box, a bowl of popcorn, and a huge white paper bag from a burger place they'd passed on the way to DuPont Circle.

He almost dropped the paper container of French fries from the bag at her question. "Oh, well Martha ordered all of this in. I told her we were hungry and since we don't have a full kitchen…

"I think it's appropriate for the holiday." Emily said as he stomach rumbled. "I'm so hungry I could eat just about anything."

He smiled a rare broad smile that made her grin back at him. "I thought you'd be hungry as it's after eight thirty."

"Really, I was in there that long?"

"Yes you were," he said, removing a couple of paper wrapped burgers from the bag. "You like bacon cheese burgers right?"

"Unfortunately, they're bad for my diet." She picked up the burger and unwrapped it.

"You look fine." He squeaked.

She'd put on a pair of navy blue sweat pants and a red tank top and left her feet bare. She looked like she was on her way to bed, but his words still lifted her battered ego a little.

"You said bring something comfortable and this is it."

"It's fine," he squeaked again. "We're not going anywhere."

"You mean you're not going to take me to one of the firework shows, or to a fancy dance." She teased as she sat down on the couch next to him.

"Oh… uh well, I guess I could take-"

She reached over and covered his mouth with her hand. "I'm just kidding. I don't want to go anywhere but to bed for at least ten hours."

"Oh… I thought we could stay up. You can see the fireworks from the window."

"I'll try, but I can't guarantee I'll stay awake. That bath was very relaxing."

"I'm glad."

They ate in comfortable silence for a while. She noticed that being there with Reid was the most comfortable she'd felt in a long time. Spending time with Reid outside of work was like the most natural thing she'd done in a long time.

"Emily… You okay?" He asked anxiously.

"Yes… I was just thinking that this is nice."

He went pink in the cheeks. "I was going to ask if you wanted to watch a movie."

"Sure."

He picked up the remote and turned on the television. They debated over movies on cable until he found Ground Hog day. She was pleasantly surprised to learn that he liked the movie as much as she did.

"What would you do if you had to repeat the same day over and over again?" She asked him when the movie was over.

"That's movie stuff Emily. Repeating the same day over and over again is impossible, time and space travel in one direction. You can't get caught in some kind of temporal loop like that."

"Reid, just pretend it could happen."

"I don't know what I would do if something impossible happened to me. How do you prepare for that?"

Emily threw a bit of her pizza crust at him. "You're no fun Dr. Reid."

He shut off the television. "It's nearly eleven. What do you want to do?"

She swallowed a yawn. She could make it another hour because it was important to Reid.

"How about a game of poker?" He asked slyly.

"I don't think so."

"Come on Emily… You haven't played with me since the last time you won."

"That's right; it's called not pushing my luck."

"How about we have a little bet?"

"That's what you do when you play poker Reid, you bet." She reminded him while gathering up the debris of their pizza and hamburgers.

"If you win I'll tell you a secret." He said.

"You already told me a pretty big secret." She said.

"I promise this is a bigger secret."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "I can't tell if you're exaggerating or lying."

"I'm not lying!"

"Okay, you win and I'll tell you a secret." She bargained.

"You can shuffle and deal." He pulled a pack of cards from the pocket of his light grey sweat pants and handed it to her.

"You're being way too accommodating. What are you up to?"

He just stared at her with his puppy dog eyes.

"Fine… I'll shuffle and deal."

Reid took the cards she dealt him after waiting for what he thought was an excruciatingly long time for her to shuffle the deck. She smirked at him while he arranged his hand.

"How many cards?"

"I'll take four." Reid said, discarding all but one of his cards.

"Trying to tell me I dealt you a lousy hand." She asked.

"Just give me the cards."

She gave him four and took one for her hand. "What's the bet?" She asked.

"Just show me your hand. I think our side bet is enough." Reid said.

"Okay…" She laid down a full house. "Show me your cards."

He lay down a pair of fives, a seven, a nine and the Queen of diamonds. "You win," he said.

"Alright, what are you trying to pull?" She asked.

"I don't know what you're talking about. You're the one that shuffled and dealt the cards. I should be the one accusing _you_."

She crossed her arms over her chest. "I don't know how to stack the deck."

"Do you want to hear my secret or not?"

"Yes Reid, I want to hear this big secret."

His face went suddenly serious. His big brown eyes took on the look of someone about to say something he'd been rehearsing for a very long time.

"I'm in love with you." He suddenly blurted out.

Of all the things she expected to hear, "I'm in love with you." wasn't even close to the top of the list. Suddenly her heart was pounding.

"Is this why you brought me here? Are you trying to seduce me?" She asked, finding that she hoped the answer was yes.

"No!" He squeaked. "I brought you here because I can't stand to see you in pain and so tired. I just wanted to spend time with you. I don't know why I just blurted that out. I had this big speech planned, but it went out of my head. You know how you want to say something really important, something that could change your life and it just goes right out of your head." He snapped his fingers. "Just. Like. That. Okay, so nothing really goes out of my head, but sometimes I can't say what I want to say and…" He stopped suddenly because she was staring at him.

"I'm sorry Emily. Please just forget what I said."

She leaned over the table and took one of his long fingered hands. "I'm glad you said it. I've had quite a crush on you for a long time."

"Really?" His eyes looked like they were going to bulge out of his head in disbelief.

"Yes…"

"I'm glad. I wanted to tell you for a long time." He looked like he might collapse from relief.

She smirked at him, keeping hold of his hand. "Just how long have you been rehearsing your speech?"

He went pink in the cheeks. "Um… since that day when you asked me about the note Gideon left for me. You said to read it again and think about why he chose me. You were so nice to me after I was so mean to you in Houston."

"I told you… Don't worry about it. I never held it against you. I knew you were hurting and you'd ask for help if you needed it."

"I did ask, just not from you." He told her, his eyes going sad.

"I don't care who you asked as long as you got it."

"I did, I mean I do, every day."

"I'm glad Reid." She squeezed his hand.

"Do you feel better?" He asked.

She released his hand and sat back on the couch. "Yeah… I'm tired, but I feel great. Thanks for sharing your secret."

"You don't have to stay up." He said. "You can go to sleep."

"No… I think I'll stay up for the fireworks." She slid over and hugged him around the waist. He put a hesitant arm around her shoulders. "Is that okay." He asked.

"Yes, it's very nice."

She decided that the best part of the evening was sitting there, not talking, until they heard the first faint popping noises from the street.

"It's midnight," Reid said looking at his watch.

"Yes it is."

"We should go look out the window at the fireworks."

"No…"

"No? What do you want to do?" He squeaked.

"This," she leaned up and kissed him on the lips.

He nearly jerked away, but she held on to his face with both hands until he relaxed.

"Wow," he said when she ended the kiss. "That was amazing."

"Happy New Year."

"Happy New Year Emily."

They stayed on the couch until her eyes wouldn't stay open anymore. "I need to go to sleep." She yawned.

"Me too… Um Emily," he stopped her from getting up. "What happens now? Hotch won't like this and neither will Strauss."

"I'll remind them both that the frat rules don't apply to us. You're not my boss."

"Do you really think that will work?'

"If not, then I'll resign. She doesn't want to lose this brain." He tapped his forehead. "So far, Garcia and I are the only ones on the team she has actively tried to sabotage. I can handle her."

"I like it when you talk tough." Emily said.

"I don't like it when people attack my family or my new girlfriend."

Emily kissed him again. "That's totally sexy."

"It is?" The determination on his face turned to confusion.

"Oh yeah…"

"Um… What do you want to do in the morning?" He squeaked, clumsily changing the subject.

"Why don't you wake me up in about twelve hours and we'll see." She said.

"Sounds good."

She stood up looking at the mess on the coffee table. She started to pick up some of the trash. "Leave that alone. I'll deal with it later." He said.

She picked up cards he discarded and looked at them. "Hey…" She said indignantly. "What's this?" She held out the makings of a straight in diamonds he'd thrown away.

"I had to let you win." He said not at all perturbed. "I was tired of being too scared to say I love you."

She dropped the cards and grabbed him for another searing kiss. "Good answer Dr. Reid."

"Why do you still look irritated?" He asked when she let him go.

"I'm just wondering how you managed to get such a good hand and you didn't touch the deck."

"Just lucky I guess."

"No," She argued. "I'm the lucky one."

He watched her walk away to her room for the sleep she needed. His heart sang because finally, he'd had the courage to reach out and grab onto what he wanted and it was glorious.

He went to the window to watch the last of the fireworks in the black night sky. Even though the old year sang its swan song with light, color and noise, it wasn't an ending for him. He'd left behind the fear and uncertainty of the old year. Now he stood on the cusp of something new and exciting. The consequences of this night were yet to come, but if he had Emily with him, he could face them without fear.


End file.
